Aztec Eagle Warrior
Aztec Eagle Warrior is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on an Aztec settlement.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Trading Post or Tambo on an Aztec settlement
- Training
- 37 sec · 15 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 180 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 6.0 speed · 18 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 9 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.0x vs. Hand shock trooper
- Ranged attack
- 15 damage · 12 range · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.0x vs. Hand shock trooper; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 8 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on an Aztec settlement. It has 180 hit points and 30% ranged resistance. It moves at 6.0 speed. Training costs 75 Food and 75 Wood; it takes 37 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 9 damage. Ranged attack deals 15 damage. Siege attack deals 8 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 3.0× against Heavy cavalry and 2.0× against Hand shock trooper. Ranged attack bonuses: 3.0× against Heavy cavalry, 2.0× against Hand shock trooper, and 0.5× against Villager.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (3×), Hand shock trooper (2×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (3×), Hand shock trooper (2×). Its reduced multipliers against Villager (0.5×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Heavy cavalry and Hand shock trooper before they can close; hold the melee attack for Heavy cavalry and Hand shock trooper when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Current statistics and recruitment
In the Definitive Edition, the Aztec Eagle Warrior is a Commerce Age ranged shock trooper recruited at a Trading Post or Tambo on an Aztec settlement. It costs 75 Food and 75 Wood and takes 37 seconds to train; the limit is eight per settlement. It has 180 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 6.0 and 18 line of sight. The ranged attack deals 15 damage at range 12 every 1.5 seconds. Its hand attack deals nine damage every 1.5 seconds, and its siege attack deals eight at range six every three seconds. It receives strong multipliers against heavy Cavalry and hand shock troops, with the ranged attack dealing reduced damage to Villagers. These values make it a specialized support unit rather than a general archer.
Ranged shock role and counters
The Eagle Warrior’s current classification is a ranged shock trooper. Its attacks are particularly effective against heavy Cavalry and hand shock troops, making it a useful native answer to units that rely on closing into melee. Its 30% ranged resistance helps it survive enemy ranged attacks, and speed 6.0 gives it room to reposition. The classification also makes its counters different from those of an ordinary archer: use it to engage the intended Cavalry and shock targets, but avoid treating it as a universal anti-infantry unit. Its reduced ranged damage against Villagers and limited siege attack do not support economic raiding or building demolition. Keep other units available for light infantry and structures.
Upgrade path
Aztec Warrior Societies upgrades the Eagle Warrior to Elite in the Fortress Age, increasing hit points and damage by 25%. The technology costs 150 Wood and 100 Coin in the Definitive Edition profile; the older version cost more. Champion Aztecs upgrades it again in the Industrial Age, providing a 35% increase to hit points and damage in the current profile. Imperial Age native technologies can further raise its statistics. The exact upgrade name and location depend on civilization and version: European and Mexican players use the Capitol, the United States the State Capitol, and Asian or Native American civilizations their Town Center for the corresponding Exalted Natives technology. African civilizations upgrade native warriors automatically and for free in the listed rules.
History as a minor native unit
Before The WarChiefs made the Aztecs a playable civilization, the Aztec Eagle Warrior served as an Aztec minor native unit. After the expansion introduced the Aztec civilization, the minor settlement changed to Zapotec and the Eagle Warrior was succeeded by the Eagle Runner Knight. The Eagle Warrior remained available in campaigns and the Scenario Editor and could be rescued from treasures on Sonora and Yucatán. Its older profile was an archer with faster movement and different combat values: 110 hit points, 11 ranged damage at range 14, six hand damage and ten siege damage. Definitive Edition reworked it to align with the Eagle Runner Knight’s ranged shock role; these two profiles should not be combined.
Mexican Federal State access
The Mexicans reintroduced the Aztec Eagle Warrior through the Guerrero Federal State. After choosing Guerrero and sending the Aztec Pueblos Home City Card, the Native Embassy can train Aztec Eagle Warriors and Aztec Jaguar Warriors. The card also gives the Embassy an attack and appearance similar to a War Hut. This special route differs from the original native settlement: it depends on a Federal State and card, and uses a Native Embassy rather than a Trading Post or Tambo on an Aztec settlement. Confirm those prerequisites before including the Eagle Warrior in a Mexican army plan.
Use the settlement cap well
The eight-per-settlement limit means the Eagle Warrior cannot normally form a large army on its own. Combine the available group with the civilization’s standard units, then use its anti-Cavalry and anti-shock multipliers to protect the core formation. If the opponent changes toward light infantry or artillery, reduce the Eagle Warriors’ exposure and add units that can answer those threats. Since the unit is a native warrior, access depends on map settlements or the Mexican Federal State route rather than ordinary Barracks production.
Definitive Edition rework
The Eagle Warrior’s role changed substantially between the original game and Definitive Edition. The earlier native unit had 110 hit points, 11 ranged damage at range 14, six hand damage and ten siege damage. Its movement and statistics made it an archer rather than a shock unit. The current version has 180 hit points, 15 ranged damage at range 12, nine hand damage and eight siege damage, and it is classified as a ranged shock trooper. Its multipliers now target heavy Cavalry and hand shock troops. The higher durability and new classification give it a different matchup profile, so old advice about using it as a fast anti-heavy-infantry archer should not be applied to the Definitive Edition.
Use as a counter, not a mainline archer
The Eagle Warrior’s range of 12 and 1.5-second reload provide steady ranged pressure, but its value comes from the target multipliers rather than general damage. Bring it when the opponent fields heavy Cavalry or hand shock troops, and let ordinary ranged infantry handle other targets. The 30% ranged resistance allows the Eagle Warrior to trade more safely against some ranged attacks, yet its limited per-settlement cap prevents it from becoming a limitless mass unit. Keep a reserve of the available eight and support them with units that can protect against light infantry.
Campaign and map appearances
Although the Aztec Eagle Warrior was replaced as a minor native warrior after The WarChiefs introduced the Aztec civilization, it remains in campaign and Scenario Editor data. It can also be rescued from treasures on Sonora and Yucatán. Those appearances use the unit as a scenario resource and do not imply that an ordinary skirmish map has an Aztec settlement available. In Definitive Edition, the Mexican Guerrero and Aztec Pueblos route provides another way to recruit it through the Native Embassy, but only after the required state and card choices.
Train where the settlement can be defended
The Aztec settlement is both a source of the native unit and the limit governing how many can be fielded. Keep the Trading Post or Tambo protected, and avoid sending the whole capped group away from the main army. If the settlement is lost, recruitment access can disappear until it is restored.
Field the right supporting units
Its specialized bonuses work best when ordinary infantry covers the targets the Eagle Warrior handles poorly. Keep the capped native group protected and focus it on heavy Cavalry or hand shock troops.
Native access and ranged shock attacks
The Aztec Eagle Warrior is a Commerce Age Native warrior available from a Trading Post or Tambo placed on an Aztec settlement. It costs 75 Food and 75 Wood, trains in 37 seconds and is limited to eight per settlement. The unit has 180 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 6 and sight 18. Its ranged attack deals 15 damage at range 12 every 1.5 seconds, and its close attack deals nine damage at the same interval. Both attacks have strong multipliers against Heavy Cavalry and Hand Shock troops; the ranged attack deals only half damage to Villagers. It therefore functions as a mobile counter unit rather than a general-purpose raider. The settlement location controls both availability and the train cap, making a safe, accessible Trading Post valuable if the army plan depends on a continuing supply.
Choose targets and protect the settlement link
Use Eagle Warriors to focus Cavalry or Hand Shock troops that threaten the rest of the formation. Their 30% ranged resistance and movement speed help them close or reposition, but 180 hit points do not make them safe when surrounded. Keep them clear of massed Heavy Infantry, use their ranged attack before enemies close, and retreat rather than letting them become pinned in melee. Their Native training cost competes with a civilization’s normal production and with other upgrades at the same Trading Post, so recruit them when their counter role is useful and the settlement is defensible. Since their attack has a reduced multiplier against Villagers, send ordinary raiding Cavalry or other units after workers instead of diverting this limited Native contingent from the targets it handles well.